


Morning

by Tay (erentitanjaeger)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Part Lion Keith, Post Voltron AU, family au, keith is a big ol' furry, lion shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 13:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14833175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erentitanjaeger/pseuds/Tay
Summary: Literal soccer dads: Mr Takashi and Keith Shirogane.





	Morning

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything for myself in a really long time so am easing myself back into it with this short fic. I love lion Shiro, I want to write more of him, but this fic became just a light, happy day in the life because I love writing sheith happy and in love with kids! Whether Keith birthed the twins himself or they adopted later in their marriage is up to you!

Shiro had always been a morning person.

When he was a kid, mornings meant cartoons and superheroes and pancakes with his grandfather.  Once he grew up, mornings meant basketball practice and catching up with friends before school.  As his education heightened, mornings meant advanced simulations in high-tech flight simulators and lessons on stars and constellations he one day hoped to reach.

Mornings on the Galra ship were a different story entirely, and yet somehow, he still preferred waking up, cold and alone, in his cell block than the hellish afternoons of fighting for his life in the arena.

Now, mornings were heaven sent.  Even if his husband was the farthest from a morning person anyone could get.  Even if their house was freezing in the mornings because the sun hadn’t risen high enough to warm their mountain side home.  Even if sometimes he woke up to one child screaming for attention in a most unflattering way, which would wake the other child by extension; mornings were still Shiro’s favourite.

Because mornings now meant kissing Keith’s cheek, running a large paw through all that thick bed head.  Mornings now meant corralling both their sons into pants and t-shirts, forcing their tails through the hole in their shorts.  Mornings now meant languid kisses shared by the stove while one son banged his tiny paws on Shiro’s chest to make sure the pancakes didn’t burn.  Mornings now, even if they were a little rushed, meant seeing his family coming together once again, reminding himself this was his life now.

That Voltron, though only retired as a peacekeeper merely moons ago, was everything he needed to endure in order to have this life now; to protect what his life had become.

“Babe!” Shiro called for Keith, clutching one squirming infant to his chest while he upturned piles of yet to be folded laundry in the living room.  “Have you seen the-“

“On the counter.”

“What about their-“

“Check the laundry.”

“And do you know where Kodi’s-“

“Still in his backpack.”

Kodi’s inhaler was indeed still tucked away safely in the front pocket of his backpack.  Shiro breathed a sigh of relief.  Just then, Keith walked into the room holding their other infant cub, who was dressed in his soccer uniform and munching on a piece of toast slathered with strawberry jam.  Shiro only had a moment to appreciate the adorable sight before the mess the jam was sure to make reminded him to pack the baby wipes.

Keith walked over and held out two more pieces of toast with jam.

“You know I love you, right?” Shiro couldn’t help but beam, giving one slice to Junior in his arms and slipping the other onto his tongue before swallowing it whole. 

“So I’ve heard,” Keith’s smile was fond, entertained, standing up on his tip toes to kiss away the smear of jam caught on the corner of Shiro’s muzzle.  “I love you, too.”

They had one of their moments.  Their moments where everything else fell away and the only people left on earth were them and their two children.  Shiro couldn’t help but love the way Keith’s eyes shone in he morning light finally hitting their living room, or how his fluffy hair didn’t seem to be tamed even after Keith had wrestled it into a ponytail.  Keith reached up to thread his fingers into the thick fur under Shiro’s ear, where his mane should be if he kept it long.  He could barely feel the fingernails, but he cupped Keith’s wrist (swallowed it with his paw, really) and kissed the palm, running a rough tongue over the pulse point.

Keith hummed at the sensation.

“Daddy!” Junior whined in Shiro’s arms, toast forgotten in his fingers while he pushed on Shiro’s chest.

“Oh, right!” The two slammed back to reality.  “We’re going to be late!”

Shiro ushered his family the rest of the way out the door, piling kids into seats and soccer balls onto laps and backpacks into the boot.  Keith was already behind the wheel, leaving Shiro to climb into the passenger seat.  He was sure to do their ritual check of seatbelts and comfortable cubs before giving the all clear, and Keith began to back out of the drive-way.

Sometimes Shiro regretted buying a home so far away from the central hub of town, meaning any morning became a little more rushed and chaotic when the extra mountain drive was to be factored in.  Yet, when he remembered the privacy it afforded them (especially during those first blissful years of marriage) he couldn’t find much else to complain about.  Besides, it wasn’t like they had a budget to keep once they had been recognised as war heroes.

“I’m gonna score a goal today!” Kodiak announced from the back seat.

“Me too!” Junior had to follow.

“I know you both will!” Keith said encouragingly, though never took his eyes off the road.  Shiro grinned, having no input to give but enjoying the conversation nonetheless. 

“Where should we go after the game?” Shiro asked, reaching over to place a paw on Keith’s thigh where he could squeeze it comfortingly.

“Not Vrepit Sal’s, again.  I’m begging you,” Keith whined at just the thought of having to put up with that many screaming kids after already having put up with so many other screaming kids.  It made Shiro chuckle.  Keith’s devotion to their twins stopped at them; he still had no affinity for any children not his own.

“But Hunk enjoys seeing us and the kids so much,” Shiro pretended like he would even dare to argue with Keith.

“Then he can come over tomorrow night for dinner or something.”

Shiro laughed, loving Keith never really had his petulance wrought out of him.  Shiro always found himself thankful Keith kept so much of himself despite the years of trauma they were put through.

Pulling up to the field, Shiro isn’t surprised to see it already in full swing.  There are children everywhere; of both human race and not.  Shiro recognised some purple faces, some pink faces and even the face of a young balmeran.  All the commotion, however, meant parking was sparse.  Keith hissed, fangs bared and pupils narrowed to slits, as a tyrannical soccer mum stole a space right in front of them.

“Calm, Keith.  Your lion is showing,” Shiro patted Keith’s thigh for emphasis.

“Your lion is always showing and you don’t hear me complaining,” Keith joked back as he turned the car to continue the search. 

He ended up dropping Shiro, the cubs and their mountain of gear off at the gates so Kodi and Junior could go find their coach while he hunted down a parking space.

“No fender benders this time, Keith.  Our insurance company will stop believing they’re merely accidents!” Shiro called after his husband, who pretended not to hear but Shiro knew otherwise.  Galra hearing permits Keith heightened senses compared to their human counterparts, so wouldn’t even be able to use the thrum of the range rover’s engine as an excuse.

Thankfully, finding an empty space on the grass isn’t nearly as bad, and Shiro managed to set up the picnic blanket, the cooler and their camping chairs before leading Kodi and Junior toward their team.

“Mama!” Both cubs sung as they barrelled toward their grandmother.  Krolia turned, clipboard in hand, ears twitching as she noticed who had arrived.  She picked both cubs up easily, smothering their noses in kisses and nipping at their ears in affection.  They squealed and pawed at her with love. 

“Finally!  My star players!  What would I have done if you hadn’t arrived and we were to play without you?”  Kodi and Junior leapt at the praise.  Krolia may have been taller than most of the people Shiro had spent most of his life with, but she was still smaller than him by far.  Yet, she could pick both his twins up in either arm no problems.  “Where’s my son?” she asked, nuzzling her face against Kodi’s cheek.

“Parking the car,” Shiro said.

There was a moment of silence.

“Do you have your insurance company on speed dial yet?”

Shiro blanched.

Eventually, Shiro gave both his cubs a good luck hug and was sure to lick their faces thoroughly to let them know they were loved, before heading back to their spot on the grass.  Keith was already laid back in his chair with a bottle of orange drink in the cup holder, and was twisting open another for Shiro. 

“Your mum says hi,” Shiro supplied, taking his seat and the offered drink.  The sun was beginning to grow hot, even though it was still early in the season. 

“And said something about my parking abilities, I’m sure.”

Shiro couldn’t lie to Keith, so didn’t try.

Shortly after the whistle blew, and the kids were off.  Shiro enjoyed watching all the small kids running around trying to touch the ball.  It was like watching a swarm of bees.  Still, somehow, either team managed to score a few goals.  Keith all but forgot about his drink as he stood at the edge of the field, screaming his support for their cubs and team, and Shiro gladly performed his usual duty of holding Keith back when penalties were called against them.  Shiro thought maybe he should find it irritating Keith still made him play peacekeeper even after they had finally settled into a much calmer lifestyle, but he would never criticise Keith for his constant devotion to their children and his desire to be the parental figure in their lives he was forced to grow up without.

Though his relationship with Krolia had been reformed, there was only so much they could do to make up for lost time, and those abandonment issues never really went away.

Shiro loved him in spite of that.

The score hadn’t changed when Shiro returned from getting hot dogs.  One for Keith, four for him.

“This dumbass referee keeps looking away every time that prick of a kid shoves Junior.  Junior should have tonnes of free kicks by now!” Shiro quickly looked either side of their little spot to be sure that the ‘prick of a kid’s’ parents weren’t around to hear Keith begin to get vicious.  “And no one will pass Kodi the ball, even though he’s been wide open for the past ten minutes!  Do these children not know how to share? Who raised them!?”

Shiro swallowed his final hotdog before sliding a large arm around Keith’s waist and tugged him into an embrace.  It was the only thing that would be certain to keep Keith from leaping onto the field to hand Kodi the ball himself.  Shiro appreciated where Keith’s protectiveness was coming from, and secretly loved watching Keith get riled up for the sake of their cubs, but knew it could mean dark storms if he wasn’t kept calm.

Shiro believed he came to these games with three children, not two.

“Honey, sweetie,” Shiro began, tentatively.  “Keep yourself in check.”

“Tell that to the referee, who can’t even do his job!” Shiro felt the muscles in Keith’s back expand as he took a deep breath to calm himself, despite his tirade.  Shiro might have even heard the infamous ‘patience yields focus’ somewhere in between Keith’s inherent muttering.  Shiro kissed his husband’s hair as way of a reward.

The referee blew the whistle for half-time, and Keith and Shiro watched impatiently as the kids gathered around Krolia and listened to her words of wisdom.  Knowing her, it was probably along the lines of ‘leave no survivors’.  Shiro wondered how Krolia got this job when one look and it was easy to tell who Keith inherited all his fiery attitude and quick remarks from.  Eventually, the children were allowed a few moments with their parents.

“Did ya see me out there, dad!  Did ya see me!?” Junior jumped and clambered up Shiro’s leg as soon as he was within reach.  Kodi preferred a gentler approach and rubbed the flat of his head against Keith’s thigh instead.

Keith and Shiro were sure to shower both their kids with the praise they truly deserved, offering them juice boxes and snacks while waiting to be called back from their coach.  Keith performed the ever constant duty of checking for burs and twigs stuck between their children’s toes, giving each bean a kiss as he did.  They both squealed and giggled under the ministrations.

Once the second half of the game was underway, Shiro had hoped perhaps Keith would be calmer and more patient with the result, but as the end of the game drew nearer, he saw that even the winning score did nothing to appease Keith’s growing anxiety.

“If you let that kid place one more hoof on my Junior, I’ll come out there and place a hoof up you’re a-“ Keith’s words were lost behind the paw clamped to his jaw.

“Keith!  Please.  We don’t need to be the reason the team suddenly finds themselves on probation.”  His words may as well have been spoken to a brick wall as Keith ripped his jaw away to scream in delight as Kodi was finally passed the ball and managed to kick the winning goal.  The timer buzzed and the kids were ecstatic as they hugged and cheered and Krolia smothered them all in proud kisses.

“See, Keith, good triumphs all evil,” Shiro said as they made their way back to the car, Shiro weighed down with their equipment and chairs while Keith clutched both cubs proudly to his chest.  Their weight never bothered Keith, even as the two were growing exponentially fast thanks to the genes given to them by their fathers.  “Even two, little soccer stars against a biased ref.”

“I still want him fired,” Keith growled while he loaded the kids into the back seat.

“I thought daddy said you weren’t allowed to light people on fire?” Junior asked, an adorable puzzled expression causing his nose to twitch and his ears to flick.

“Fired, baby, not fire.  It means he’d lose his job.”

It was Shiro’s turn to drive and they had decided to spend their after-game festivities at the diner on the edge of town.  The one Shiro and Keith had frequented long before Voltron and war had warped their lives.  Long before they had realised how hopelessly in love they were.  Long before Shiro had even considered children and marriage to be something he might want.  Of course, it was Kodi and Junior’s favourite restaurant too, because they had inherited their fathers’ good taste (according to Keith).

“I want waffles!” Junior claimed.

“I want pancakes!” Kodi decided.

“I want pancakes, too!” Junior shouted, while they clambered into their favourite booth.

“Is that ‘instead of’ or ‘on the side’?” Shiro asked as he lumped an arm around Junior and opened the menu.  Keith did the same for Kodi, pointing to the various options and toppings that were available. 

They ended up ordering waffles and pancakes for each, fighting over chocolate sauce and strawberries and wiping cream off muzzles and noses and whiskers.  Keith scowled at Shiro as he stabbed and entire stack of pancakes with a fork and attempted to shove the entire thing into his mouth, accusing him of teaching their kids bad manners.  Sure enough, more mess was made, stains were created on purple and white uniforms as the twins attempted to copy their father.

“It’s your turn to do laundry this week,” Keith only said as he fished out more baby wipes to attempt to rid the worse of the stains before they set.

Shiro couldn’t find it in himself to regret his decision.

By the time they arrived home, the sun was hanging low in the sky and the cubs were already nodding off in the back seat.  Each father took one and attempted to have them cleaned and dry before they could enter a rem cycle. 

Shiro was tucking Kodi under his thick covers and swiping a tongue over small ears when Keith walked in with Junior, wrapped in a fluffy robe, fur still damp, but face pressed against Keith’s jaw while he slept.  Keith pressed his nose to the crown of Junior’s head and inhaled.

“They smell like love,” Keith’s voice was soft while he made his way over to Shiro.  “I know love doesn’t have a smell, but somehow these boys make it possible.”

Shiro chuckled, letting Keith place himself squarely on strong thighs and nestle against a furry chest.  Shiro, too, inhaled where Keith had, and was filled with comfort and longing for a family he had right in his grasp, almost in tears at how thankful he was for the familiarity of it all.

“Love certainly does have a smell.  It smells like this.”

He planted a kiss on Keith’s cheek, cradling Junior’s skull in a paw, looking down at his entire world, his entire universe.  He was filled, yet again, with the knowledge, the absolute sure feeling, that his life was perfect.  The juxtaposition of so many years of trauma, of repressed emotions and fears, of risking his life again and again for a cause he wasn’t even sure was entirely worth it, compared to this feeling now, it was enough to knock Shiro to his feet.

Here, he held so much of his worth in one paw, another part sitting on his thigh and nestled comfortably against his shoulder, the last snuggled under warm covers, protected by everything Shiro was and hoped to be for his children.  Even as scarred as he had been when first Keith had found him, strapped to a gurny, covered in fur and features altered to be almost unrecognisable, humanity stripped bare in every way including appearance, somehow, Keith had still chosen him.

Again.

And again.

And again…

“Are you crying?” Keith lifted his head, a smile on his lips.

“Yes.” Shiro was not ashamed to admit his love for his family could single handily bring him to tears. “I love you.  I love you, and I love Thace Junior, and I love Kodiak.  I love all three of you and it’s overwhelming sometimes.”

Keith was patient while he listened, but his eyes held all the devotion and pure, raw emotion that Shiro knew he was looking at Keith with.

“We love you, too,” Keith simply said.

For once, for Shiro, it was more than enough, to hear those words and believe Keith was telling the truth.

Keith shuffled off Shiro’s lap and placed Junior into his own bed, taking one last whiff before covering the sleeping bundle and taking Shiro’s hand as they exited their cubs’ room.  They both took one last look at their sleeping bundles of joy, at their paws curled against soft pillows, at the glow-in-the-dark stars lighting up small points of light on the walls and ceiling. 

Their own bedtime wasn’t for a few more hours, and Shiro was surprised to find themselves making out like teenagers on the couch in the library, books scattered to the floor, forgotten in lieu of a much preferred activity.  Keith was warm on top of him, relaxed, his movements languid as he slipped his tongue between Shiro’s canines.

Shiro’s chest rumbled as he purred at the feeling, encasing most, if not all, of Keith’s body with thick arms and giant paws.  It was the only thing he was glad about when the Galra had given him this body.  The size, the strength, the instinct.  It all meant he was better equipped to protect his team and friends, and now, his family.  It meant Keith would never be harmed so long as he chose to be married to Shiro, and if he was being honest, even long after.

Shiro was forever grateful Keith chose him constantly.  Every morning.  When the sun rose and their days started all over again, as chaotic as it could be juggling two growing cubs, after school activities, peacekeeping efforts and a busy social life, Shiro was comforted that Keith chose him amongst it all.

“What are you thinking about?” Keith asked, lips not having travelled far so warm breath caused Shiro’s whiskers to sway.

Shiro looked down his nose at Keith, at his eyes filled with wonder and genuine affection that made Shiro’s heart stutter.

“Thank you,” is all Shiro said.

Keith grinned, knowing Shiro well enough, long enough, deep enough, that he knew exactly what for.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

Once nestled into their own bed, pyjamas equipped and lights dimmed, positions settled and breath turned even, Shiro find his heart only jumping at the knowledge that sleeping beside his husband like this meant waking up beside his husband like this.  To a new morning and Shiro’s favourite time of the day.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk Sheith babies and Lion Shiro with me on twitter! @KinkyKeithy


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